Kellie Armstrong
Strangford · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Water Environment Bill. It is timely and important. Miss McIlveen, a fellow MLA for the Strangford constituency, has just spoken.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill reflects the realities of the post-Brexit landscape by aligning protections here with those in other UK jurisdictions and the UK Fisheries Act. That consistency is important for standards, enforcement and international confidence in our products.”
“Last year, I met the Department and we discussed that. The opportunities for seaweed farming in Strangford lough are wonderful, and the opportunities from seaweed that Queen's University has identified are incredible. We are lucky to have those opportunities on our doorstep, as long as there is licensing and it is properly looked after.”
“Moving beyond managing individual fisheries, the Bill recognises the interconnected nature of our rivers, loughs and seas — an approach that is very much in line with Alliance's commitment to evidence-based environmental policy. The inclusion of a national benefit objective is also significant.”
“A while ago, we saw that commercial bottom trawling had all but decimated the horse mussel population in Strangford lough. It has since been changed to a special area of conservation. That limits a lot of activity in the lough, which is not a bad thing considering that horse mussels are coming back.”
“They allow for timely action on lower-level offences without over-burdening the courts while still acting as a meaningful deterrent. If only everybody were acting properly, we would not need to have those deterrents, but we are where we are, and the Bill hopes to improve upon that.”
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“It allows the Department, by negative resolution, to provide for a not-for-profit fee to be payable for those classes. I have listened to what the Minister has said today, and, if the amendment is passed, that can be changed at Further Consideration Stage to affirmative resolution. It is worth noting that the Bill in its current format only makes specific provision for sign language classes for people aged 24 and younger and their families, guardians and carers. While I agree that that is absolutely necessary, and it is important to include it in the Bill, there are a growing number of adults in Northern Ireland — one in six — who lose their hearing due to age, illness or trauma.”
“I appreciate that there has been some discussion about what actions should be included in the Bill and about the Department's need to prioritise sections. I believe that any legislation should not be limited to a specific time or budget but should provide a clear intention. My amendments give a clear intention to support adults with hearing loss and give the Minister the ability to charge for classes provided for adults with hearing loss. I believe that that adds and clarifies rather than detracts from the intention of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />My first amendment — at amendment No 4 — is listed in group 1. To summarise, the amendment adds the availability of sign language classes:”
“The lack of access to two-way communication means having to forgo privacy, as we have to depend on family or friends to listen and clarify what a doctor or consultant says during an appointment. A growing number of older people live in residential care but are cut off from others because their lives have been reduced to isolation and loneliness because they cannot hear. Not having access to ways to learn to communicate with others or for others to learn to communicate with them leaves them forgotten, means that they receive less from public services and makes their older years unpleasant.”
“It is important not to forget people who have been in receipt of chemotherapy or radiotherapy and those with some cancers, whose hearing can be damaged through the receipt of life-saving treatments. It includes older people who have age-related hearing loss — presbycusis — or who have had infections. Viral infections can lead to hearing loss, especially in older adults. People with illnesses, such as Ménière's disease, systemic illnesses and some cancers are included. <BR /> <BR />Hearing loss, as others have said, leads to isolation and loneliness. It reduces opportunities and removes a person's ability to communicate and the ability of others to communicate with them. Some people have had to leave work, and others have had to stop socialising.”
“<BR /> <BR />While the Department kindly agreed to table a number of amendments suggested by the Communities Committee, I believe that an important consideration has not been included, and the Assembly now has the opportunity to include the needs of people who become deaf in later life. That includes people who become deaf due to age, illness and/or trauma. It includes serving military and police personnel and veterans whose hearing has been impacted by loud noises, such as explosions and noises at firing ranges. It includes people who work in industries where repeated loud noises have damaged their hearing, such as manufacturing, aviation, construction, the fitness industry, music, hospitality, waste management and recycling.”
“The amendments were tabled after considerable consultation with the deaf community, and I am grateful for the work of the Committee for Communities, the Department for Communities and the many individuals and organisations that helped to finesse the Bill. <BR /> <BR />Following ongoing consultation with the deaf community, I have tabled three amendments to extend the provision of sign language classes directly to the many adults who, like me, have lost their hearing in later life. Those three amendments are part of group 1, and they are amendment Nos 4, 5 and 22. None of my amendments should come as a surprise to the Minister, the Department or the members of the Communities Committee. I have raised issues with that section of the Bill several times, as the record of the Communities Committee and the subsequent Committee report confirm.”
“People who use sign language have waited years for this legislation. As the Bill proceeds through Consideration Stage, Further Consideration Stage and Final Stage, they will be able to see how much has been included in it. When it becomes law, the new Act will vastly improve the provision of sign language across all public services. There will be significant support for children who are born deaf or with significant hearing loss, and their lives will be greatly improved by the availability of sign language and sign language classes for them and their families. <BR /> <BR />We have the opportunity to agree amendments that improve the intention of this vital legislation.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I wish to raise a point of order under Standing Order 65, which deals with good order in this place. I have not hidden the fact that I have a hearing impairment, and, today, I was not able to hear most of what the Minister was saying because of the shouting coming from the Back Benches. Between Mr Gaston, Mr Brett and others, including Mr McNulty, it made it impossible. If that type of discrimination is going to continue in the Chamber, it prevents people with hearing impairments from taking part in the democratic process. I would like a ruling from you about the noise that is created in the Chamber that stops Members hearing a Minister. Whether I agree with him or not, he deserves to have his place and be heard in this place.”
“Thank you, Minister. I do not know whether you are aware, but my degree was in history, so it is very important to me that we tell our story, and I am very excited about the exhibition that is coming up in PRONI. However, that story must be honest, and I have to say, Minister, that I am quite disappointed that you mentioned Charles Thomson alongside John Dunlap, a well-known slave owner and slave trader who used his printing presses to print newspapers to sell people in. Will you ensure that the PRONI exhibition is completely honest and tells the full story of some of our ancestors' shameful backgrounds?”
“I feel that the language used in the House today has been appalling and that trans people have been used as scapegoats. I would like the Speaker's Office to make a ruling on whether that principle has been breached in the debate.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. We have had a disappointing debate, especially with people who are transgender being used in such an unfortunate way. I ask the Deputy Speaker for a ruling under Standing Order 65, which concerns the approach that is taken in the Chamber. Standing Order 65 refers to "conduct": I remind everyone that one of the "Additional Assembly Principles of Conduct" is:”
“Thank you very much to Mr Harvey, my Strangford compadre. I agree with Mr Burrows about contracting issues. A number of years ago, we had the red-tape challenge, which was that we decentralise a lot of work to other providers. Does the Member agree that, even if we were able to crack the issue of contracting, centralisation in the Civil Service world may not be working and is costing a fortune and we should consider outsourcing — not privatising but outsourcing — to the community and voluntary sector and to our SMEs across Northern Ireland?”
“Minister, much of the single-let temporary accommodation is used to house homeless individuals. As we know, rough sleeping continues to rise, but communication problems between the Housing Executive and front-line agencies seem to have hit an all-time low. Is there anything that you can do to improve the situation?”
“Will the Housing Executive continue to be allowed to mark its own homework?”
“<BR /> <BR />I have said that I cannot support the DUP amendment, because it calls on the Minister only to reflect the principles of Awaab's law here. I look forward, however, to hearing from the Minister about his potential housing Bill. Will it include minimum standards across all tenures?”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I look forward to hearing from the Minister about that, but I cannot answer for him. <BR /> <BR />We need to look proactively at the way in which we are dealing with housing. We need some sort of retrofitting plan to be put in place. The Department for the Economy's foresight report emphasises that decarbonisation and energy efficiency are essential, not only for meeting climate targets but for health. Cold and poorly insulated homes trap moisture, worsen the condition of the house and drive fuel poverty. We will hear today from many Members who have had constituents come to their offices to talk about the impact of damp and mould, so I hope that everyone in the House will respond to the Minister's current consultation on the Decent Homes Standard.”
“Without enforcement powers, timelines or accountability, however, our standard is not protecting people, so why not replicate Awaab's law here? <BR /> <BR />I do not agree with the DUP amendment, because it talks only about reflecting the principles of Awaab's law here. Why not just make it law here so that it can protect people?”
“Even then, it stated that homes should be:”
“It also highlighted a dangerous culture of blaming tenants' lifestyles rather than addressing structural failings. <BR /> <BR />That culture exists here as well, and it must end. For example, how many times have we heard that damp and mould is caused by somebody drying clothes over a radiator or not having opened the windows enough, when we do not even test the mould to determine how dangerous it is? <BR /> <BR />Other jurisdictions have acted. England introduced Awaab's law in 2025, while Scotland has legislation to implement similar protections from March 2026. Meanwhile, here in Northern Ireland, we still have no equivalent statutory duty to require landlords, be they social or private, to investigate and fix dangerous hazards within fixed time frames. Our Housing Fitness Standard dates back to 1992.”
“<BR /> <BR />We cannot ignore the lessons from the tragic death of Awaab Ishak. The coroner's report warned:”
“After there not being enough houses to meet need, the biggest issue raised in my constituency office is the amount of damp and mould in homes. One constituent, who lived in a Housing Executive house, regularly had to take a shovel to her bedroom wall to scrape off the mould. Damp and mould disproportionately affects the most vulnerable people in our society. The guidance highlights the fact that babies, older people and those with respiratory conditions are at heightened risk, and the mental health impacts of living in such a situation are profound. A home that has mould or damp staining can lead to depression and anxiety for people. Families feel shame, isolation and helplessness from living in conditions that no one in Northern Ireland should be forced to endure.”
“Mrs Cameron mentioned reporting damp and mould to environmental health, but people cannot do that if their landlord will throw them out as a result.”
“Renters' Voice survey shows that 62% of tenants delayed reporting repairs for fear of eviction, and over half said that they did not report issues at all. One tenant said that they had lived with no heat in their home for at least eight years because asking for repairs would trigger a rent increase. Another was evicted after reporting raw sewage in their garden. That is the lived reality of retaliatory eviction.”
“It is not abstract. Those are harms that are being experienced by families across every constituency. We know the scale of the problem. We have evidence, and Mr Durkan said earlier that the Housing Executive has received more than 14,000 reports of damp, mould and condensation since the start of the mandate in 2022. In the past four years of the current mandate, the number of reports has doubled. Those are not minor numbers. They are huge numbers, and they are symptoms of a housing system under severe strain and of tenants who are bearing the burden of homes that should be of a far better standard. <BR /> <BR />It is not confined to social housing. I am glad that Mr Carroll included private and social housing in his motion.”
“I thank Gerry Carroll for tabling the motion. We are debating it today because far too many people in Northern Ireland are living in homes that are simply not safe. The evidence is overwhelming and very troubling. <BR /> <BR />On 15 November 2023, I tabled a motion in the House asking for Awaab's law to be brought in here, and we are talking about it again today. Across social housing, private rentals and even owner-occupied homes, damp, mould and disrepair are not isolated problems. They are systemic failures that are harming citizens' health, dignity and life chances. <BR /> <BR />The Department for Communities guidance makes the situation starkly clear. It states that damp and mould are some of the most common problems in housing and that they can lead to residents having:”
“That causes me a lot of concern for organisations that have borrowed money. What does that say to the banks? It says that the funding will be changed when they have already started.”
“I thank the Member for giving way, even though he is winding on his amendment. The amendment refers to:”
“It is certainly not good enough for some parties to wring their hands about flooding while blocking the very climate adaptation plan that would help us to prepare for it. The people of the Ards peninsula deserve better than political games when their safety is on the line. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to hearing about the concrete steps that the Minister and the Department for Infrastructure are taking to ensure that the events that took place during recent storms are not repeated and that the A20 and, indeed, all coastal routes are managed with the urgency and seriousness required.”
“As a resident who uses the road every day, I avoid the main route when the weather is bad, as I know that any wave could carry sand, seaweed, stones and, at times, part of the sea defences on to the road. However, Minister, our systems, planning and communication do not have to be vulnerable. With proper coordination, early closures and clear contingency routes, we can protect the road and the people who rely on it. It is not good enough to say that it is up to the PSNI to close a road or for the Education Authority to leave it to a driver of a school bus to make decisions about road safety; it is up to government to put in place emergency and contingency processes to protect all road users.”
“It is something that the Department for Infrastructure should have planned for and support should have been put in place to maintain road safety. <BR /> <BR />The people of the Ards peninsula deserve reassurance that lessons have been learned, not only from storm Bram but from every storm before it. They deserve to know that their children will not be on buses travelling through dangerous conditions with waves crashing over them. They deserve to know that their commute will not become a gamble. They deserve to know that government agencies are working together and not in silos. <BR /> <BR />The A20 will always be vulnerable to the impact of storms, especially when the waves come over from Strangford lough.”
“The PSNI must be ready to enforce closures. The media must be briefed promptly so that the public receive accurate and timely information. It cannot be a chain of individual decisions; it must be a coordinated response. Why is that not happening? <BR /> <BR />Thirdly, what contingency plans exist for the alternative internal peninsula route? When the A20 is closed, the alternative route must be clearly signposted, well communicated and safe. Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the narrow roads where cars cannot pass safely, never mind an oil tanker, a milk tanker or a school bus. They have concerns about the lack of signage when diversions are put in place. That is a basic requirement, and it should not be left to chance.”
“That requires DFI Roads, the PSNI, schools and the media to act in unison with shared information and responsibility. Today, I ask for clarity on three key points. <BR /> <BR />First, what proactive system is now in place to ensure that the A20 is closed before the conditions become dangerous? We know that the Met Office yellow warnings or higher give us advance notice; we know the tide tables — in fact, they are published online, and I look at them regularly — and we know the road’s history. There is no reason for having last-minute decisions or for vehicles to be caught out. It is not acceptable to say that it is up to only the PSNI to close a road. The Minister has a responsibility for road safety. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, how will communication between agencies be improved? Schools must be informed early so that they can reroute buses.”
“Let us be honest: the delay is the Executive's refusal to allow it to progress. At a time when communities such as mine on the Ards peninsula are facing the very real impacts of climate change, it is simply unacceptable that the vital adaptation plan is being held up for political reasons. Ministers and Members cannot, on one hand, express concern about flooding, coastal erosion and infrastructure resilience and, on the other, block the very programme that is designed to help us to prepare for and respond to those challenges. The delay has consequences in our communities and for roads, such as the A20, and the people who rely on them. <BR /> <BR />When we know that a storm is coming and that the high tide will coincide with it, the public expect there to be a clear, coordinated plan to close the A20 before people are put at risk.”
“The issues raised then — poor visibility, unpredictable tidal surges and the need for timely interventions — are the same issues that we are dealing with today. Local news reports have also repeatedly documented the battering that the road takes during storms, with waves overtopping the carriageway and debris making it dangerous and impassable. These are not isolated incidents but predictable events that occur when severe weather and high tides align. <BR /> <BR />Minister, this is where the wider context matters. We are already living with the consequences of climate change, such as more frequent storms, more severe tidal surges and more pressure on our coastal infrastructure, yet the Executive have still not agreed the third climate change adaptation programme. It has been sitting with the Executive for months.”
“During storm Bram, a school bus travelling along the A20 was engulfed by waves. Children who were on their way home from school being stranded by coastal flooding and hit by waves should never have happened, and it was avoidable. The road should have been closed earlier, and the fact that it was not highlights a failure in coordination between DFI Roads, the PSNI, local schools and the media. <BR /> <BR />It is not a new problem. In fact, the Assembly has debated the dangers of the A20 before. In the Adjournment debate on 12 March 2024, Members highlighted long-standing concerns about road safety along that exact stretch and emphasised the need for proactive measures and better planning.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for attending the Adjournment debate to address an issue that is not only about infrastructure but about public safety, community confidence and the basic expectation that government agencies should work together when lives are at risk. <BR /> <BR />The A20 Portaferry Road is a lifeline for the Ards peninsula. Thousands — commuters, schoolchildren, carers and local businesses — rely on it daily. I declare an interest: I live on the Ards peninsula and use the A20 every day. As all of us who use the A20 have seen repeatedly, that vital route is uniquely vulnerable when storms coincide with high tides. The recent storms, including storm Bram, have once again exposed the fragility of the road and the gaps in our response systems.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. One of the key aspects of reviewing the Civil Service is the potential for a reduction in numbers. In order to do that, we need to ask whether our alternative partners, which could be delivery mechanisms, can afford to replace our Civil Service. Community and voluntary services and other businesses are having their grants cut, so we have to be careful when we are considering reform and decide whether it is better to keep services in-house in the Civil Service or move them out to other services that can be funded appropriately.”
“In your statement, Minister, you talked about the business plans for the Ulster-Scots Agency and Foras na Gaeilge. If you can, it would be useful if you would outline the objectives that those groups have identified for 2026-28 and explain how you will be involved in monitoring whether the outcomes are achieved.”
“Thank you, Minister. Newtownards is now closed to new connections and the development of businesses. You talked about larger industries, but what about the small to medium-sized enterprises that are closing down and having to let their people become unemployed or are having to close down other businesses to take their connections? What support is going to be available for those small to medium-sized enterprises?”
“I will speak up, because it is quite hard to hear everyone on the microphones today. Minister, we understand that 4 January was a difficult time for 11 people who did not have access to emergency accommodation. Do you agree that it is counterproductive to blame the community and voluntary sector for not having enough space? The SWEP system needs to be reviewed to make sure that emergency accommodation is available. I believe that there are still some issues around the Housing Executive's opening up its premises. Do you agree that we should work more with the community and voluntary sector rather than apportion blame to it?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your statement and for mentioning ‘Winterwatch’ at Mount Stewart. I was delighted when you joined me at Mount Stewart and we saw the damage that Storm Éowyn had caused, with 10,000 trees having fallen. What is your view on setting targets in law for nature recovery?”
“That is not partnership, it is not the co-design that we want to have for this place and it is not sustainable. <BR /> <BR />I am concerned that the Northern Ireland Office has still not allowed Northern Ireland to have a say in the future of this important funding stream. I am also very aware of the organisations out there that will be now be looking to the Northern Ireland Executive, at a time of deep financial crisis and very tight Budgets, to find the financial support to fill that gap. I do not know where that money is going to come from. The Northern Ireland Office took its decision, and we are left with the consequences.”
“It will dismantle what has been built up over a number of years by the community and voluntary sector to enable us as a government to provide access to employment for people who have difficulty getting into work. We have the highest economic inactivity rate, so such funding is particularly important to us. However, the decision taken by the Northern Ireland Office to continue to deliver a programme that did not have any Northern Ireland input or say by the Minister for Communities or the Northern Ireland Executive means that a programme has come forward with a 64% cut, where the majority of the money will be spent on capital, not on the skilled people who help others to get into work. Those decisions have been taken without consultation, impact assessment or regard for Northern Ireland's unique economic context.”
“I stand today at a critical moment. This contribution is to do with funding not from the Northern Ireland Executive or any of the Northern Ireland Departments but from the Northern Ireland Office. The transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to the new local growth fund should have been an opportunity to build on what works. Instead, we face a funding cliff edge that threatens people, communities, employers and the very services that support our economic recovery. <BR /> <BR />The Northern Ireland Office has made a 64% cut to the programmes that will tackle economic inactivity. A 64% cut is a significant amount of money for organisations that are helping those the furthest from work into work and supporting them during work. I have heard that up to 11,000 people will not now have those services.”
“— wants to come down and enjoy all that we have.”
“The fleadh is not just an event for 2026 and 2027 but a catalyst for cultural development, civic pride and a deeper understanding of the traditional arts: Irish, Ulster Scots and beyond. It is part of our wider tapestry of who we are here. I am really looking forward to it. It is a massive opportunity for us to showcase Belfast and the wider Northern Ireland, as people stay on after the fleadh to take those opportunities. On behalf of the Ards CCÉ, the Ards peninsula is very open to whoever —”
“We need to bring our businesses on board to make sure that they understand that doing so will not only enable the free flow of people and the events but will give them opportunities. I absolutely support the ideas of having the pubs open later. Would that not be fantastic? We can keep the night-time economy going.”
“When the working group comes together, I would love to hear about how it looks at Belfast and at how we can keep people in Northern Ireland so that they do not disappear but enjoy what we have to offer. <BR /> <BR />I believe in a shared society and a shared history. We in Northern Ireland can provide such a fantastic opportunity not just for Irish traditional music but for Ulster-Scots music and dance. I was a festival Irish dancer until I was 18, though it does not look like it now, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. That is the crossover between Irish dancing and Scottish dancing. <BR /> <BR />I cannot wait to see the fleadh, but we need to think about our central business district of Belfast. Pedestrianising the area, removing cars from it and providing free transport are things that the fleadh has brought to other places.”
“<BR /> <BR />Others talked about the opportunities that people will have with the fleadh in Belfast, but I say to this to the Minister for the Economy about the point that Gerry introduced about transport and protecting people so that others do not make a lot of money from providing space in homes that should have been kept for local people: we should look beyond Belfast. A lot of the people who go to the fleadh come along for the dancing, the singing and the music. That is wonderful, but, after that, they stay in the place. They will move beyond Belfast to elsewhere in Northern Ireland, so there are huge opportunities for families and other people, if we can bring them together and provide more enjoyment, music, song and dance in other parts of Northern Ireland.”
“Like others, I, of course, welcome the fleadh coming to Belfast, and I send my best wishes to all the organisations, volunteers, community groups and public bodies involved in the preparations for what promises to be an extraordinary event for Northern Ireland. We talk about a million people being in Belfast during August. That represents not just people who will be at the fleadh: remember that a lot of cruise ships come in at the same time, so the opportunities are huge.”